I Chose Rapture
by Averell Torrent
Summary: In the wake of the Kyuubi's attack, Naruto and his mother disappear from the world. Now in another, he will grow up under the ideals of the Great Chain. And no matter where the chain pulls him, he chose his home. He chose Rapture.
1. Chapter 1

**[A/N] Alright guys, this A/N is going in the first chapter of all my new stories. I have a large assortment of fanfics I've had in my back pocket for a while now, but I've been unable to find a beta for any of them. That being said, the ones I'm posting right now are all open to beta readers, and until I get one, they are HEAVILY reliant on feedback.**

 **This does mean that the ones that get more feedback will be worked on more. Honestly, I've got a few chapters written ahead for each, but I'm not going to keep working on fics that no one likes.**

 **Also, yes, this is part of the reason the TPOYB rewrite is taking so long. It is not the only reason, however. I doubt I would work on it any faster without these extra fics. I write these when I have time and don't feel up to taking on TPOYB or my original work. I'm only posting these three, I Chose Rapture, Something New, and Avatars, for the moment as my others are currently more of an outline than anything else.**

 **I do hope you enjoy these as they are ideas I've been toying with for a while and really feel they are unique and different. So if you're checking out one, check the others to see if they also interest you.**

 **Other than that, expect updates to be slow as with my other stories.**

 **Now as for my note about this fic in particular:**

 **I haven't found too many of these, even fewer I've liked. I think this one will be a little different than most crossovers, but we shall see.**

 **I altered the timeline of Rapture so that Naruto wouldn't be 12 in the middle of the civil war.**

* * *

 ** _He_** moved slowly through the village, attention drawn to him with each heavy step he took. The man was large and hulking with the armor he wore, easily eight feet tall. It looked fitting around the body, with shining metal greaves, boots, and armor up his legs and arms. Under the armor was a thick fabric that covered his entire body and seemed heavily resistant to puncture.

Though the armor was seemed heavy from the sounds it made alone, it didn't seem to bother him. He was able to easily watch and keep track of the shinobi watching him from the rooftops, despite the helmet he wore.

The helmet itself was a sphere around the head with a flat face, one large porthole above another, smaller, one on the faceplate, and four others on the sides.

He ignored them, walking onward as they tried to get a read on who or what he was. He had one reason for coming here, and no matter how involved they decided to be, he would not be returning home without it being finished.

He kept walking, getting ever closer to the tower looming in the distance. This was the tower that, to him, had been fabled for most of his life. The Hokage tower. He had been lost in thought for a moment, shaking himself out of it once he was close enough.

Looking down at his palms and fingertips, he checked to make sure the circular shutters in the openings there were not jammed. He checked the tubes running from them as well.

The tubes ran to a pair of glass canisters on his back over his left shoulder with a larger metal one in between them. While one canister held a crimson liquid, the other was blue, each of them feeding down his arms while the metal tank fed into his helmet. Coming from under those tanks was a simple black cape with a frayed end.

Once he was satisfied, he looked back up to the tower now only a few dozen feet ahead of him. Rails moved from his back onto his right shoulder, a large metal cylinder attached to the rails by several mechanisms. The entire thing was strapped to him by a large and thick buckle over his chest.

Reaching up to aim the cylinder, there was 'boom' as it fired. From it flew an explosive, aimed where schematics showed him the Hokage's office would be. Knowing the explosive was small, he didn't expect it to do much.

It detonated before reaching the tower, merely cracking the window. However, he noted the shinobi surrounding him before the explosive had even gone off. He looked down at them.

While his intent had not been to start a fight, he would oblige them if they attacked. The portholes gave off an ominous yellow glow as mechanisms moved around his right arm. Pieces of armor that had once looked out of place formed a large drill over his hand, it's tip scratching the ground.

One of the shinobi, an ANBU he had guessed from the mask, pulled his sword. "Whoever you are, you will stand down now, or we will kill you."

The sound that came from the armored figure was a deep and grating laugher. There was a distorted and gargled voice from within the helmet. " _I would almost like to see you try."_

As he said this, that same ANBU charged him. Moving faster than seemed possible in such armor, he swung the drill, bashing the man away.

His left hand moved, the shutters opening as he did. There was a sound like an explosion, a blast of wind breaking the sound barrier and firing several of the other shinobi into a building.

A cloud of insects swarmed around him, trying to encase him in a dark cloud. His left hand turned yellow as honeycombs formed. He held his hand out, thousands of wasps flowing from the shutters and ripping into the swarm around him. In a matter of seconds, only his wasps remained.

Each of the shinobi stepped back, rethinking the direct approach.

" _I am not here to fight. Not you."_

"Then would you tell me why you have attacked my shinobi?"

The man turned to see someone he had heard much about. It was a pleasure to finally be taking in the appearance of the Sandaime Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. Despite the stature of your typical old man with white hair, there was power and potential just waiting to be unleashed.

Hiruzen was sticking to his official uniform for the moment, the customary red Kage hat and haori over his red kimono. He was holding his pipe up to his lips.

The lights in the helmet turned green. " _She told me stories, said you loved that pipe."_

The lights dimmed, the upper ports appearing as though the inside was being quickly drained of fluid. Once the lights were gone, the voice was only muffled by the metal.

" _They attacked me, Lord Hokage. And as for the bomb I sent at your window, if I wanted you dead, you would be. I have fought bigger than you, stared into the abyss, and walked back unscathed."_ There was what sounded like a chuckle. " _Mostly."_

The drill split into multiple sections, the mechanisms moving back up over his arm and fitting back comfortably. His left hand returned to normal, the shutter closing. The insects dispersed, simply disappearing without any trace.

He finally reached up and grabbed the helmet, twisting it one way and then the other, producing a light scraping, as he unlatched it from the rest of the suit. He lifted his helmet, revealing the features of his face. The stubble on his chin, the scar from next to the corner of his eye, across his lips, and to his chin, the violet eyes, the whisker marks on his cheeks, and the spiked deep-orange hair.

The man sighed, breathing in the surface air as he hadn't done in a long time. And it tasted different than it had, smelled different than it had. He tucked the helmet under his arm, using the other hand to gesture to the scar.

"Mostly." His voice was monotone, laced with mirth. "Hiruzen Sarutobi. My mother told me so many stories of you, her life in this place. To see the stories of my childhood, the legends of this world, come to life before my eyes. One could say that it is…" He paused to smirk at his terrible pun. "enrapturing."

"Who are you?" Hiruzen gave him a hard glare.

The man smirked. "Many years ago, something happened to this village, to this world, that changed everything. A man in a mask came here and ripped the Kyuubi from Kushina Uzumaki's belly. That man called himself Madara Uchiha. And it was him, because of the actions of the Kyuubi, which was responsible for the death of Minato Namikaze, Kushina Uzumaki, and their son."

Hiruzen had the man pinned against a wall the moment he finished speaking. "Who are you and how do you know these things. Most of the details of that night were never disclosed. They are military secrets."

"Because I was there. Only one person died that night, not three. Before the Bijuu Dama consumed him and a substantial portion of the forests of Konoha, Minato used his signature Hiraishin to send Kushina and their son as far away as possible. However, they were sent much farther than he had intended... unless the intent _actually was_ to put them at the bottom of the ocean."

Hiruzen's face became saddened. "We never found the bodies. We hoped they might be alive, but Kushina and the boy really are dead."

"Haven't you been listening, old man? Only one person died that night. Kushina Uzumaki and her child survived. Out of all the odds, all the constants and variables, they survived. But I have still not answered your main questions. How do I know these things? Who am I?"

He smirked as the entire set of armor he wore disappeared. Revealed was his toned and muscled torso, his lower half covered in black cargo pants. He was covered in sealing arrays, but none of the visible ones touching his lower belly. He also had two tattoos, one on each wrist. On the left was a black chain with the stylized letters 'A SLAVE OBEYS'. And on the right, a broken chain and the letters 'A MAN CHOOSES'.

He placed a hand on his belly, channeling chakra into that area. A seal appeared, taking up the rest of the uncovered area with the Uzumaki swirl in the center and a jagged line down the middle. The right side of the seal had long since faded.

"I am the product of that night, told the stories as they could be known from Kushina. I am the container of the Kyuubi no Kitsune, chosen to save this village by my father. I am the child of Kushina Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze. I am Naruto Namikaze, barer of many names. But I have come back, not for you or the stories or this village. I have come back for my mother."

* * *

 ** _Minato_ **drove his Rasengan into the masked man's back, imprinting him into the ground and forcing several large rocks into the air. As the light dimmed back down and everything settled, Minato looked down at the man for only a moment before looking over to where the Kyuubi was causing chaos.

He disappeared in his classic yellow flash.

Kushina formed chains of chakra that flew around the area. Kyuubi ripped apart trees with his thrashing, being partially restrained by the chains as his hind legs and tails were bound.

She was momentarily distracted as Minato appeared behind her with their deep-orange haired son.

"We need to hurry and seal the Kyuubi," he said.

"Into our son?" Kushina almost looked livid.

"We don't know if you can handle it. It's amazing you survived the extraction."

Kushina looked at him a moment before looking back to the Kyuubi, quickly realizing that the beast was trying to create a well-known black sphere.

"Do it now!" Kushina didn't want to, but Minato had made too good a point to ignore.

A small altar appeared, Minato setting Naruto down to begin sealing. He realized something.

"The Kyuubi is too strong for this! I have to use the Shiki Fūjin!" Minato began to panic at the implications.

Kushina faltered in her weakness despite her best efforts to restrain the Kyuubi. The Bijuu Dama building didn't help her nerves. And in her one moment of weakness, some of the chains broke. It was only by dumb luck that she could stop the claw within an inch from impaling her.

"There's no time!" She didn't want to be wrong, but she had to believe their son could handle it or they would all die. "Minato, there's no time, we have to take our chances or none of us will make it!"

Minato looked at her like she was crazy, but he saw her struggling and knew she was right. There was no time to split the Kyuubi. He formed the seal, knowing he might regret this choice later. The seal formed, creating the images and twisting in the center.

Just before the chains broke, there was a flash of light. Seconds later, when the light cleared, the Kyuubi was gone, completely sealed within their son. But up in the air, a far different problem remained. The quickly destabilizing Bijuu Dama.

Minato ran forward, hoping he could stop it, but as he truly looked at it, he understood. He couldn't teleport it away. There would be no physical object to send away by the time he could get up there and place the seal.

Everything entered slow motion as he turned to Kushina, who already had their son in her arms. "Kushina!"

She turned just as everything exploded. The last thing she saw before everything went white was Minato being consumed by the light.

* * *

 ** _When_ **Kushina looked up, seeing the light gone, she looked around. She was surrounded by metal, pipes, and the sounds of machinery. She didn't know where she was, clearly having been sent somewhere by Minato, but where could this be?

She stood, keeping her son close to her chest protectively. She walked down a hall, deciding to make finding out where she was her priority.

She moved down several hallways, jumping at the occasional burst of steam. It wasn't until she heard voices coming from another direction that she felt she was making any progress. She turned in that direction, headed for whoever was talking. Perhaps they could help her figure out wherever she was.

It took another few minutes, but she came out of the pipe filled hallway just in time to see some people with rolls of blueprints, and looking at one they had open, turn a corner. She made to follow them, but something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye.

She turned to see what couldn't be possible. Through the massive and thick glass wall, she saw a whale not far off. With as dark as it was out there, it had to be the bottom of the ocean. But that was impossible. How could she possibly be at the bottom of the ocean?

"Do you know what they call someone who enters a man's home uninvited? A thief. Out of all the people I have invited to my city and have already brought here, you are the one person that I do not at least recognize. I do not remember inviting you to my city. Who are you?"

Kushina turned around, staring at the man behind her. The man wore a brown suit and had a small mustache.

She would come to know this man as Andrew Ryan.

* * *

 **[A/N] Alright, so there is my prologue, how is it? We shall see where I take it.**

 **Naruto's armor is sort of like a hybrid of the big daddy armor types. His armor itself is meant to be more like the Lancer, cleaner and lighter. The metal is all cleaned and scrubbed, hence the shine compared to usual grime. It also has the cape hanging from the torso. The tanks on the back are more like Alpha Series, smaller than on Lancers and Bouncers. You will recognize some of the other changes. The Helmet is like a smaller and hybrid version of the Big Sister and Rumbler helmet, kind of like the Big Sister helmet with some modifications.**

 **Actually, if anyone is interested in doing fanart for this Big Daddy amalgamation or finds something like it, let me know.**


	2. Chapter 2

**[A/N] This is one of those chapters that are really old. I tried to touch it up and make it fit my more current style of writing, but let me know what you all think.**

* * *

 **November, 1946**

 ** _Kushina_ **stood in Andrew Ryan's office, holding her child as the man stood not far away, simply observing them for the moment.

"The story you've told me is quite fantastical," Ryan said in Japanese, Kushina herself not speaking English. "I do not claim to understand what you are, but I know that you are special. If I were less acquainted with the vicissitudes of genius, I suspect I would question your sanity. But I'm sure we are both in awe of each other, you from your world, and me from mine. I know little about you aside from what you've told me, but I think the more I learn, the more exceptional I will find you."

"You're right," Kushina said. "I don't understand how I came to be here, nor how there is a city under the ocean. The story you've told me is just as fantastical to my ears. I'm no stranger to wars, but weapons and such as you have described sound impossible. The only thing I do understand is that, for now at least, my son is safe. I think we can benefit each other, Mr. Ryan."

"How so, Mrs. Uzumanki?"

"From what you have told me of the surface of your world, Rapture is going to be the only place we can stay safely for an extended period. It will be one of the only places where people won't ask too many questions about who we are or where we come from."

"And how does keeping you here benefit me, since you brought it up?"

"Well, for one, with me down here I can't tell anyone on the surface." She noticed the slightest agitation on Ryan's brow. Hew words were incentive and a thinly veiled threat. "But something tells me you're going to need a police force. If people get restless, try to break whatever laws you set in place, you're going to need a defense against such things. Someone like me is more than accustomed to security and protection."

* * *

 **December, 1949**

 ** _Naruto_ **ran around Kushina's legs, giggling as he did. He was chasing a small wound up toy in circles. Meanwhile, Kushina was staring out of one of the massive windows and staring as some buildings were lowered in and others were being added to.

She also glanced at files, reading and looking at names, seeing all the people who were coming into the city. It had become her job for the time being, to account for the coming occupants of Rapture. So many people. Suchong, Tenenbaum, this man Fontaine. Many people seemed questionable to her. Fontaine, even through the photograph, had this look in his eye. She had seen it before. And then Tenenbaum. She seemed cold, calculating. There was a way about the woman that Kushina recognized to an extent.

"Are you sure about some of these people, Andrew? A good few of them seem rather questionable."

"Each are unique and have something to offer this city." Ryan walked up next to her, watching the construction form Hephaestus along with Kushina. The moment he was there, Naruto was running in figure eights around both of them.

Ryan had gotten used to how energetic the child could be. It was not an easy lesson. "Some even bring things we need," he said. "Steinman may seem questionable, but he is a doctor. And that is something we will need down here."

"I know I brought him up a few days ago, but this time I meant some others," Kushina replied as she flipped through some of the files. "Yi Suchong, Bigid Tenenbaum. Both are doctors, and I get we may need them, but they seem dark. Selling opium to the Japanese during the war, I mean, I understand using it to survive, but he was doing it long before someone was slaughtering his home. Tenenbaum, she helped the Germans with their experiments. Again, I understand the need for survival, but she strikes me as someone without much remorse. Almost like someone I once knew, but it's hard to place a name to the face now that I think back to it."

"I chalk plenty of their eccentricities to necessity on the surface world. Many of them have some darkness instilled in them, that much is obvious. But has the world, or in this case, worlds, not instilled some form of darkness in everyone? And I know that, on the surface, that will never change."

Kushina sighed. "You are correct. Except for one point. Rapture is part of the world, even way down here. Don't think that the distance from the surface exempts Rapture from the dark nature of humanity."

* * *

 **August, 1955**

 ** _Kushina_ **sat on a bench, a clipboard in hand. Naruto sat next to her, every so often looking up from his book to complain that he was bored and ask when they could go home. She would give a stern look each time, something she had learned bought another few minutes of quiet after the first hundred times he had asked.

It had been a long time since she had left Hephaestus, their home even being in a small section just a short distance from the command center of rapture. It was separated by a bulkhead, a bulkhead that only she, Naruto, and Andrew Ryan could access thanks to her seals.

Normally, only Naruto left Hephaestus for school, Kushina knowing that he could run faster than any normal person if needed.

However, she had to come down here in person to observe the final phases of construction on the fisheries. Fontaine had made it his priority to establish his business over the past few years, but there had been setbacks that made it take as long as it had. No one knew who or what had saved them, but when one of the sections collapsed, it was a miracle that so few had died. But every survivor mentioned a blur of red

As she watched the final pieces being welded and laid into place, she checked several boxes on her board. This had become her job as well, making sure Rapture was safe. She was not the head of security. She was the heart of it. There were heads of security, police chiefs, and a number of other ranks that commanded authority befitting those ranks, but most security in Rapture was privately owned, a business. Of the few things she had demanded there be some government funding for it was what little public security she was given command of.

But in the end, everything passed through her. Even Andrew Ryan, when concerning matters of security and maintaining order, answered to her, or at least heeded her words on matters where security was only a part of it. He had the final say, but he had learned to hear and take great consideration of her thoughts on many matters.

Hearing her tales of the man she had called Orochimaru was the driving force behind him conceding that even in this society, the government would need to take care of some things.

It was as she finished checking off the lists that she noticed many of the workers were staring at her. Some were uncomfortable under her scrutiny, and her odd appearance hadn't helped.

She had kept her long hair, never dying it, and chose to keep to a more Japanese dress as it seemed to be an almost exact match for the culture of her own world. She heard whispers every once in a while from people wondering if she was Irish given her hair but they dismissed that from her Asian appearance. The fact that her hair was far too red to be Irish added to that.

She continued to ignore them as she had the last time she had left Hephaestus to observe the final phases of Fort Frolic.

"You must be the woman Ryan mentioned sending down here to keep an eye on things."

Kushina turned towards the man, seeing the face of Frank Fontaine for the first time in the flesh. Looking him in the eye, she saw the same thing she had seen in the picture. An ambition clouded by something else. She wasn't entirely sure how to feel about this man, but she knew he set her on edge.

But she decided to keep up appearances and stood up, extending a hand to him which he shook with a smile on his face.

"And you must be Frank Fontaine," Kushina said, speaking in English. "It's a pleasure to meet you. And yes, I was sent to oversee the final phases of construction. After what happened a couple years ago, Mr. Ryan didn't want to take any chances."

"It is a pleasure to meet you as well miss…"

"Uzumaki. Kushina Uzumaki. With construction of Rapture and many of the policies so close to completion, you'll be seeing a lot more of me around here."

"Well, perhaps you could also help with my new project coming up. I'm setting up to have another section added before it's too late. It's gonna be called, Fontaine Futuristics."

* * *

 ** _Kushina_ **unsealed the bulkhead, Naruto right behind her as they walked into their home. From the outside, one might think it was a large luxury apartment. However, a sizable portion of the building was actually a training ground that Kushina used to keep her own skills sharp and train her son.

The moment they were through the door, Naruto was in the air, walking on the ceiling. He loved how freeing it was to be back home, unrestrained by their need to appear normal. Mr. Ryan knew about them, but that was necessary. Who knew how others would react?

Kushina called his name and gave him a stern look when he turned back to her. He sighed and kicked off his shoes, pumping the air with his fist and mouthing a 'yes' when he got them into the designated shoe area on the first try. His mother nearly face palmed at his antics.

"Get ready for training, Naruto," she called out, eliciting a groan of annoyance from the boy.

* * *

 **October, 1958**

 ** _There_ **were setbacks, always setbacks. Supports needing to be reinforced, leaks needing to be sealed, and so many other things needed to ensure the city would last. But, while Rapture was finished later than originally thought, it was done sooner than more recent estimates had predicted.

And with Kushina there to observe and take note of everything, even using a sealing array when she was sure no one would notice the change, she had played a very large role in the construction of Rapture. Ryan himself had said that without her, Rapture may not have been completed or lasted if it had been finished.

But it was finished. It was finally finished. And, overall, twelve years was good time for building a city, even more so given that it was under the ocean. It had been done for a few months now, but only recently had they found time to relax and celebrate

And, as celebration, Andrew Ryan was opening an expensive bottle of liquor he had been holding onto for the years it took getting to this moment. Naruto, in a joking manner, reached for one of the glasses being poured. He didn't even have time to pull his hand back before it was slapped away by his mother.

Naruto gave a smirk before looking to Ryan. "What's been going on in the business side of everything? I heard that Fontaine guy's been working on all sorts of new projects. Saw an ad yesterday. Something about new genetic advancements to use for everyday purposes. And I didn't see it for long, but I thought there was something on there about teleportation. Not quite sure how that's going to work out, but it seems like Fontaine Futuristics has been making advancements in everything recently."

Ryan looked between a few of his other guests, some looking at Naruto without much thought considering he was a child, but a few had become trusted friends and knew he was more mature than his years.

"Yes, a shining example of growing industry, but I've been more worried about something else recently. This new arrival. The entire city is in quite the buzz over this 'Johnny Topside'. He just shows up a week ago, and now he's a celebrity."

Naruto, taking note of these words, slipped off. It was time to do a bit of sightseeing.

* * *

 ** _Naruto_ **kept to the shadows, usually in the supports that made up some of the ceilings. Sometimes he walked around in plain sight, but even then most people ignored the twelve year old.

He walked through one of the financial districts, wondering how he might get a look at this 'Johnny Topside', but with no luck.

He had tried investigating a large crowd, but in the end it had only been Sander Cohen. He didn't understand the man's art most of the time, but every once in a while, there was a poem or play he enjoyed. Thinking about it, he was convinced it had been pure chance rather than Cohen producing intentionally producing somthing he thought of as normal.

He kept going, eventually making his way, via bulkheads and bathyspheres, to Apollo Square, knowing some friends there he could ask about this newcomer to rapture.

After walking to one of the interconnecting sections, deciding to take the sidewalks rather than the trams, he turned down one of the alleyways between the many apartment buildings that acted both as living quarters and supports for the large section of Rapture.

"Hello Mr. Dog-Eater."

Naruto turned towards the voice to see a young girl, around the age of six or seven from his own guess. He arched his brow at the name she called him, giving her a confused look. "Uh, hello, I guess. Mind telling me who you are, and why you called me Dog-Eater?"

The girl smiled and nodded. "My name's Eleanor, and mother says that other children are 'raised on a diet of dog eat dog.'" She spoke her mother's words in a mocking voice.

* * *

 **November, 1960**

 ** _Naruto_ **walked around Pauper's Drop, keeping to the shadows as he watched the workers and other people unable to live better. People shouldn't live this way, he knew that, but that's the way things were, and he alone wasn't about to be able to change that. He kept his thoughts clear of the matter as he often did, focussing on finding his friend.

As he walked, he thought about the way things were in Rapture. They had been progressively getting worse. Civil unrest had been growing due to the financial status of many, but he blamed a large part of it on Fontaine. He had grown up on the ideals of this city, on Ryan's ideals. The Great Chain. His mother's teaching had allowed him to see the flaws, but he believed it could prevail.

He was dragged from his thoughts when he got to the apartments where Eleanor had been living in the past few months ever since her mother was arrested. He heard screaming and instantly pulsed chakra into his legs, running to get there.

Having originally taken a more scenic route through the apartments and buildings on the way there, he rounded the corner just in time to see Eleanor being dragged into an elevator. He rushed over, trying to stop the doors from closing to no avail.

Pressing the button hundreds of times as rapidly as he could, he felt his patience evaporate. Unable to wait any longer, he checked his surroundings to see no one paying him any attention. Chakra coated his hands as he pried the doors open and jumped inside.

His feet hit the roof of the elevator silently, giving him an element of surprise. He readied himself to open the hatch and attack, stopping himself as the elevator came to a stop and opened. As the kidnappers left, he dropped into the elevator behind them, watching them enter a bathysphere and disappear.


	3. Chapter 3

**_Naruto_** moved silently through Point Prometheus where he had managed to follow the men who had kidnapped Eleanor. Knowing this to have been a subsidiary to Fontaine Futuristics before Fontaine's death, he feared for her safety. Trying to go unnoticed, he peered into a door, seeing researchers moving through the halls with armed guards following them.

His blood turned cold as he heard a breath behind him. Spinning around, he looked up in time to see the butt of a gun coming down at him.

* * *

 ** _His_** mind was hazy at best as he came to, barely able to open his eyes. It felt like hours or days had past, and he was unable to tell which. He could feel the tight restraints on his arms and legs, keeping him immobil. His mind was in a fog, feeling tired, drugged.

"Hey!" someone yelled out. "He followed, he saw faces. I don't care if he's a kid. Who knows what he saw. We have our orders. Get rid of him."

"Alright, how?"

"Put him through the process. We have plenty of extra slugs. Survival rate for a kid like him's gonna be low. If he does survive, then we can still put a bullet in him. Either way, we can harvest the extra ADAM for ourselves."

And then it was all dark again. Indescribable pain engulfed his body, turning everything red. It felt like he was being ripped apart. like his body was being burned, frozen, shattered, shredded, broken. It was too many different cascading sufferings to count or name.

And through the darkness and Hell, came a voice.

" **Kid! Kid! Stop panicking you useless little shit!"**

And the pain was dulled, not gone, but heavily muffled. He was standing in a flooded industrial looking basement. He looked up with clouded eyes, the pain dulling him. But his mind became sharp in here at this moment.

"I wondered when you would talk to me, fox." Naruto scrutinized the beast behind the bars.

" **Cut the shit, we both have an interest in working together. You're dying, your body is rejecting your own genetic code. It's burning itself from the inside. I have an interest in keeping you alive."**

"Why would that be?" Naruto was suspicious.

" **Let alone for now that we are not in our world, I do not know what will happen if my form is dispersed on the bottom of the ocean. Even if I am simply unsealed here, the city will be destroyed and the ocean will crush me. I don't know what will happen, so I have an interest in staying right where I am."**

"So you have a way of keeping me alive?"

" **Yes. Normally I could flood your body with chakra and heal you quickly, but your body is ripping itself apart too quickly and continuously for that to work, and the seal restrains me too much to keep up, despite how powerful that burst would be."**

"How do you know that?"

" **Because I already tried. It's the only reason you're still alive now. The normal and gradual healing isn't enough. I need more freedom."**

"What do you want?"

" **I want to survive. Take the seal on the bars and rip it in half."** The fox saw the mistrust instantly. " **I already told you, this is for mutual survival. If you don't, you die anyways. Look behind you."**

Naruto turned around, seeing his mindscape collapsing, electricity urging over the walls, scorching everything before it fell in on itself.

" **Keep the piece in your pocket, your mental inventory if you will. It will keep me contained and keep you protected while also giving me the freedom I will need to save us both. Hurry!"**

Naruto was reluctant, but either way he was dead. He leapt up, grabbing the bars. He braced as a massive claw came towards him, but felt the strain on his arms lessen as the claw was giving him a place to stand.

He didn't say anything, gabbing a corner of the paper and ripping it in half down the middle from top to bottom.

And everything went white.

* * *

 ** _Naruto_ **woke up groggily, his vision blurry as he came to. He blinked and squinted, trying to see. As his sight cleared, he found himself in a ventilation duct.

"Where am I?" Naruto shook his head, groaning in pain as his head hit the wall.

" _ **I couldn't do much since the seal still has many restraints, but since my full body is inside the seal, I was able to take over long enough to get us out of that facility and into the ventilation system. It's a good thing your father wasn't able to split me in half before sealing me."**_

"And how do I get out of here?"

" _ **I don't know. I was only really able to put your body in a 'controlled' frenzy. It was a mad dash for as far away from those people as possible. But I believe we are in the air system between Point Prometheus and Asgard Station."**_

"Shit. And Eleanor?"

" _ **What did I just say to you kid? She's gone. Whatever they did to her, you have no way to find her now."**_

"Then give me more of your power. I'll go back there and rip them apart until I find her." Naruto tried to move, grabbing his ribs in pain.

" _ **You will still be suffering the aftereffects for a while now, not just from residual pain, but also from how quickly your body was ripped apart and stitched back together. You're fully healed, but you will be in pain for quite some time. Get home, far away as that already is, and take care of yourself and me before you worry about some other child."**_

* * *

 ** _Kushina_ **stormed into Ryan's office, fire in her eyes that Ryan had only seen a few times before. It set him on edge, but he was more nervous about what could have put her in this state than he was afraid.

She grabbed one of the guards that were trying to stop her and threw him into a wall.

"Ryan! I stood by you through a lot of things, even being understanding when you kept creating Little Sisters. I know that sometimes horrible things are necessary. But kidnapping girls, not just using orphans?!"

Kushina threw a chair out of her way as she got closer.

"And almost killing my son?!" She nearly screamed as she grabbed the corner of his desk and threw it as well, finally putting a great deal of fear in Ryan through her words as she picked him up and pinned him to the wall.

Ryan looked at her with that fear as well as some confusion. "What are you talking about Kushina?"

"Your people kidnapped a girl from Pauper's Drop! My son followed them in an attempt to rescue her, making it all the way to Point Prometheus where he was nearly killed!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about. I gave no order for a girl to be kidnapped, let alone for your son to be anywhere near those operations. Trust me when I say that I will find the people responsible and bring them directly to you. I am grateful for your loyalty during these years, don't think I'm not."

Kushina continued to glare at Ryan, putting him down. "Do you know how they almost killed him? They put one of those things inside him. They put one of those fucking ADAM slugs inside of him!"

Ryan became enraged himself at hearing this. He had ordered his people to kill anyone who intruded in Point Prometheus, that much could be understood, but doing that to a child with the intent to kill them? It served no purpose. It was unacceptable.

"I'll bring them to you on their knees. You can kill them if you want, but if you don't, I promise you that I will."

* * *

 **December, 1960**

 ** _Naruto_ **stood there, looking in the mirror. His mother had gone to talk to Ryan, so he was alone. It was good. He wanted to be alone in this moment. It had taken him nearly two days to return home, his mother having panicked as she searched for him.

He heated how weak he was, unable to save Eleanor, unable to reveal his abilities. He was glad to be alone, knowing how much his mother would feel about what he was about to do. Looking at the assortment of Plasmids and Gene Tonics in front of him, he picked one up and examined it.

Looking back at himself, he watched the small light that seemed to emanate and pulse from his belly. Knowing now that his shinobi training wasn't enough, that all of it couldn't be revealed to this world, he fortified himself in what we would do.

Grabbing the hypo, he filled it with one of the Plasmids and stabbed it into his arm. His hands trembled as he injected the substance. Pain surged through his body, the edges of his vision becoming white. He clenched his fists, drawing blood as his nails dug into his palms. Despite the pain, he stood strong, withstanding the familiar sensation of his body being changed from the inside. A pain that was nothing compared to what he felt before.\

It took a moment to really feel the effects as his body began to tremble before his skin was covered in a layer of ice, his fist clenching as spikes of frost grew from his hand. He exhaled a heavy breath, the air showing that breath as it got near his hand.

He had heard of the ice using shinobi of his world, those with such Kekkei Genkai. And now, with the press of a needle, he had a similar power. He smirked into the mirror. He was going to fix the mistakes he had made.

He looked to the other tonics and knew just how he was going to do that.


	4. Chapter 4

**New Year's Eve, December 31** **st** **, 1962**

 ** _Naruto_** moved through the halls, freezing people who tried to stop him, leaving them alive. He wore a large coat, the sleeves hanging down past his hand. It was bunched up around his right arm as he held it out to use his plasmids.

A part of him wondered what his mother would think of what he had become. She had stood firmly against gene splicing, feeling that it was too close to what Orochimaru had tried to achieve, and she had spent the last two years trying every avenue to find a way to extract his slug without killing him.

Ever since the incident she had been given complete oversight of Point Prometheus and it's experiments. Under her, the little sisters had become more productive in producing ADAM, and they had found ways to enhance the Big Daddies, but she was no closer to finding what she truly wanted. Naruto loved her for her efforts, but her work had been slowly consuming her, and he wished she would stop.

He shook his head of the thoughts as he came to a stop. Turning on his heel, he looked into the cell he had looked for.

The woman inside looked at him sternly "Who are you? And what do you want?"

Naruto gave a light bow, enough to show respect without being deep enough to show submission, something he had learned over time from his mother about the culture they had come from. He gave a greeting in Japanese before smiling at her.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki. Roughly two years ago, your daughter, Eleanor Lamb was taken away and turned into a little sister."

The woman, Sofia Lamb, went to the bars, grabbing them and staring at the young man. "What did you just say? Where is my daughter?"

Naruto's smile turned sad. "I already told you, but it was not I who turned her into it. I tried to save her, but was too late. However, I know where she will be tonight, and am ready to atone. Step away please."

He grabbed the bars as she did as she was told, ice flowing through them before his hands were consumed by fire, the rapid temperature change cracking the bars before he froze them again and shattered them all.

* * *

 ** _He_** walked around one of the tunnels around Rapture, Sofia at his side. "Now, you are sure that your people will follow your orders after all this time?"

"Yes," she said with a nod. "I'm sure. They will meet us there."

"Good. Now all that we-"

He cut himself off as he noticed something down one of the side passages. A light coming through what almost looked like a rip in the air. A woman stepped from nowhere, coming out of the light. She turned, closing the rip and dusting herself off.

Naruto gawked at what he saw, quickly regaining his composure. His mother had always told him of her home, but it always circled back to her longing to return. With the Teleportation plasmid scrapped, impossible to stabilize, and her own limited ability with the Hiraishin, had left her without any hope of ever returning. But he was sure this was something else. He could feel it.

He looked back to Sofia. "Get to the Adonis Resort and prepare. Wait for me though, I need backup, not bodies, waiting for me."

"And where are you going?"

"If I'm correct, quite possibly home. Don't read too much into that or you'll get the wrong impression. Go, and wait. I will join you soon."

And without another word, he chased after the woman he had seen, Speed Boost helping him as he took to the walls. If this woman could travel through space, he would need to talk with her.

He could smell the air, a skill he had picked up from the fox, and tell that he was close. It was to his utter shock that a wall appeared in front of him with a loud sound like rushing air. He maneuvered just in time, landing on the brick wall with his feet, rebounding and landing on the ground.

He stared as his hands moved to his sides, large blue spheres forming in his palms before he pressed them into the wall, drilling through the bricks and destroying the wall, stepping through the new hole.

The woman was there, gripping another hole in the air and pulling it open, a large robot with an equally large gun and ridiculous white haircut came through, shooting at him and yelling, "We hold these truths to be self-evident."

Naruto jumped into the air, spraying a heavy blast of ice and freezing the gears for a moment. He unsealed a Kusarigama from his hand, launching the weight into the gears sticking out of the robot's back, using his own strength to rip them out.

He turned, seeing the woman running, placing barriers in his way, and he was certain now that this woman was transporting things from outside of rapture. If she could come from the surface, where else could she go?

His question was answered a second later as he nearly grabbed her shoulder. And then they were falling. Down they fell, miles in the air, the ocean below them. And he was intoxicated.

This was fresh air? The breeze? The sky?! The stories did no justice to these things as he was partially blinded by the light, what could only be the sun. Oh yes, this woman would be incredibly useful. He just needed to capture her.

The woman entering his mind once more, he look around for her, seeing her opening a large portal some distance down. He surrounded himself in a red cloak, another trick the fox had taught him over time. A tail reaching out, by his will not harming her as it grabbed her leg and pulled him close to her. As they went through the portal, he could feel his body hit the water.

He did not let go of her as they hit the surface and floated there, his hands holding her shoulders, more gently than she had expected from her powerful pursuer. The tails extending from him worked to keep them afloat.

He blinked away the water, staring into her eyes with a broad smile. "Tell me, how is it you have this amazing gift? To travel wherever you want? I must know. Perhaps I can finally fulfill my mother's dream and take her home." And then he remembered something, shaking his head a bit. "I'm sorry, I'm just so excited. But, what is your name?"

The woman searched her mind, her knowledge, and then she realized why he would be so excited to see her. He wasn't of this world either.

The woman looked at him curiously. "My name is Elizabeth."

Naruto looked at her face, now realizing how close he was to her, and that she wasn't much older than him, only three years, if that much.

"And it isn't one of the plasmids of Rapture. It's a gift I have had since infancy, not something I can share with you."

Naruto smiled. "Then don't. Simply come with me."

They were suddenly somewhere vastly different, standing in a massive tree. Naruto lost his balance in shock, falling off, and grabbing hold of the bark of the tree, grimacing as some of his skin was torn off.

When he reached the bottom, his hands quickly began healing as Elizabeth appeared behind him.

"This is where you want to go," she said, "right? Your original universe?"

Naruto turned towards her. "This? This is my home? The air…it feels so familiar."

"So you wanted to be here, now I have things to do."

"No!" Naruto rushed her, grabbing her throat and pinning her to the tree. "I will not have you stranding me here. Not without my mother. Take me back to Rapture."

As the tear opened, he placed a small seal on her skin with little more than a touch.

* * *

 _ **Naruto**_ stepped into the hallway, Sofia Lamb standing there. She walked up to him, a hand on her hip.

"Where have you been?" She spoke the words with a mild glare.

"Bookmarking an important factor. Now, are you ready? We need to be prepared."

"Yes. My men are waiting just ahead."

They stepped through the doors, Naruto taking the lead. Men and women, spliced and not, fell in behind him, following his lead. He rounded a corner, the sounds of struggling and yelling echoing.

"I thought your men were waiting," Naruto said.

"All of our men are behind us," Sofia said.

"Shit."

Naruto took off, coming to a balcony and seeing a group of splicers fighting a big daddy. And there was Eleanor, cowering to the side. He leapt up and over the railing, landing on a man's head, crushing downward and sending the skull into his chest cavity.

The big daddy turned towards him as he fired a spike of ice into the eye on a spliced woman. He then let out a yell, his arms coating themselves in ice. He slammed his fists into the ground, sending out a wave of ice that froze everyone's feet to the floor in a heavy layer thick enough to hold down the big daddy as well.

While Sofia and her people walked in, Naruto unsealed his Kusarigama, decapitating the attackers. The Big Daddy, realizing that Naruto was no threat, lowered its weapon, using the drill to get rid of the ice over its feet.

A green ball went flying past him, hitting the metal clad guardian just as it broke the ice. Naruto watched in a morbid fascination as the ball splattered on the armor, instantly filling any seems and filters.

Sofia walked up to the protector as Eleanor ran up and tried to call out to him. She caught Eleanor by the arm.

"There now," Sofia said. "He's perfectly safe now." She pulled Eleanor behind her as she looked at the Big Daddy. "This is not your daughter. Do you understand? Her name is Eleanor, and she is mine. Now, kneel please."

Naruto kept watching, having not really seen something like this before. He wondered where they got such a plasmid that they could control a Big Daddy as the creature knelt.

"Remove your helmet."

As the helmet was removed with a hiss of steam, Naruto stepped between Sofia and the protector, staring at the face he saw. It was definitely altered, but he had caught a glimpse of this man before.

"Johnny Topside. So this is what became of you. A monster, created for the use of others. You should know something, Mr. Topside, that I was wronged by those people as well," Naruto said, his eyes shifting to give off a dark yellow glow that only Johnny could see. "Unfortunately, only one of us still has his mind, and Eleanor is not yours. But you will keep coming back for her, so you must die. If I could fix you, trust me when I say that I would."

He brought the Kusarigama up, slitting the man's throat and placing a seal that made him unconscious as he bleed out.

Eleanor cried out for the armored man. "Daddy!"

Naruto turned to her, catching her in his arms as she escaped her mother's grasp. He held her close, patting her on the back as she cried into his shoulder. "Calm down Eleanor. You are not alone."

The words Eleanor spoke next sent a chill up Sofia's spine and a tear in Naruto's eye.

"I'm scared, Big Brother. Protect me from the monsters," she said.

"I know, Little Sister. Don't worry, I'll make sure you're safe." Naruto replied.

He then placed a seal on Eleanor, placing her into a sleep as he stood up, still holding onto her.

Sofia kept her stern look as she stared at Naruto. "She trusts you, why?"

"I already told you that I once tried to save her. Now, know that I don't trust you Sofia. I have grown up here in Rapture, it is my home, and I believe that you were imprisoned for a reason. I believe in Rapture. So, take your daughter, keep her safe, and go underground. I will not help you again."

Sofia nodded, taking Eleanor and turning to go, realizing that staying here with a Ryan loyalist would not be a good idea. She would take her free pass and head back to Persephone.

"Wait," Naruto called after them. They turned to him as he picked up Eleanor's needle. He was quickly behind them, stabbing the needle into any he could sense ADAM within and draining all that they had. Some were left weak, some dropping to the ground.

He ripped the top off the bottle, drinking the contents. He licked his lips, taking care not waste a single drop. He stared at Sofia, his eyes glowing. "Keep her safe. I just gave her my word she would be safe. Do _not_ give me a reason to come for her again, or you'll need more than a Big Daddy to stop me. Far more."

In the next instant, he disappeared in the Shunshin.


	5. Chapter 5

_**He**_ sat in a chair, looking across from Hiruzen, his hands chained to the table. He seemed calm and composed, wearing dress pants as well as a dress shirt and vest, both unbuttoned to show his muscled torso wrapped in bandages to cover the skin.

"As I've been telling you, yes, my name is Naruto Uzumaki. I know it's hard to believe, but it is true."

"If you really are Naruto, then why not come back before now?" Hiruzen asked. "How do I know you aren't the man who attacked that night, given your knowledge of those events?"

Naruto sighed, leaning in closer. "As I said before, we were not sent to any nearby location. This world is one of an-" He paused, his eyes darting around as he tried to pull his hands apart to get his point across. "It's one of an infinite number of similar worlds. Alternate realities, pocket dimensions." He could see the skepticism in the Hokage's eyes. "Look, if I was that man, I wouldn't be restrained right now. Any attempt to restrain him, let alone me, is a joke. He could turn intangible. Those seals you put on me? Impressive, I'll give you that, but nothing I couldn't circumvent any time I want."

"A lot of big talk," another man said.

Naruto looked over to the source of the new voice. He saw a brooding man in all black leaning against the wall. He assessed him instantly. "Black hair and eyes, rather gloomy looking, and arrogance, pride, and cockiness practically radiating off of you from the way you stand with your crossed arms to the way you speak and stare. You must be an Uchiha."

The man gave a small growl, but quickly smirked. "I see the power of an Uchiha is easily distinguished from others."

Naruto laughed. "In a sense, yeah. Yours is the dimmest fire in the room, so your power is easy to distinguish." He could see the Uchiha try to retort, but kept going before he had the chance. "My mother told me all sorts of stories about them, their arrogance matched only by how impressive they _could_ be when they weren't deliberately showing off like children. She was friends with Mikoto Uchiha. I'd have grown up with her son if not for the events surrounding my birth. Is she still the matriarch? How is Fugaku's ball and chain?"

The Uchiha glared at him. "You must be joking, like there's a person alive who doesn't know about what happened."

"Humor me."

"My parents, along with almost every other Uchiha are dead."

Naruto scrutinized him. "The way you said that, you much be their child. Sasuke Uchiha. Unless they had a third son, I have seen images of Itachi, and you're not him. You have my condolences. If you don't mind, how did the entire clan get killed?"

"They were slaughtered by my brother. You hear your stories about him as well?!"

Naruto seemed shocked for once. "Itachi? He killed them all? That is a true shame. The things I heard, I had hoped to meet him some day. But now, when I find my mother, such a blow will be crushing to her. Tell me where he is and I shall rend his flesh from his bones." He paused, blinking. "Unless of course you already have."

Sasuke looked surprised at the simple and blunt way the man spoke. "If you know so much about him then you know why it isn't that easy."

Naruto looked around the room. "None of you know where he is? So much for the power of Konoha, can't even catch one of their own."

Sasuke almost lunged at Naruto for his jab.

Naruto sighed before suddenly disappearing in a burst of red and neon blue, reappearing in the corner of the room. He stretched his arms out, unsealing his coat as it appeared around his body. He turned to see both of them staring at him awestruck as his shackles were still locked on the table.

He looked the Hokage dead in the eye. "If I was your enemy, I could easily kill either of you and anyone else in this village. Weather or not the man who attacked that night was really Madara Uchiha, wouldn't surprise me if he really was immortal, but if you think I'm him, think again. You can think I'm as powerful as Madara Uchiha, but then attack me knowing how foolish it is. But at the same time, heed the warning that I am not as powerful as that man. I could grind him into the dirt." He paused. "Now how about we continue this discussion somewhere with more comfortable chairs."

* * *

 **New Year's Eve, December 31** **st** **, 1962**

 _ **Naruto**_ hunched over the toilet, emptying his stomach as his head pulsed in pain. His body convulsed as he spit up what was left. His fingers clenched around his head, trying to stop the throbbing in his head as his ears rang.

"What the fuck is this?" he groaned to himself. Stepping back, he leaned against the stall door. "It's been so long," he said with a smile. "So long since I was able to feel pain. What was that?"

Breathing heavy, he stood there looking at the ceiling for a minute, not moving. Finally standing right again, he looked down to the light in his belly. He lost himself in the warm glow, waiting for the pain to fade away.

As his head finally stopped hurting, he let of a soft sigh. He stepped out of the stall, leaving the bathroom and stepping passed the hole in the wall to the sinks. He washed his mouth out, breathing heavily.

"Are you alright, sir?" the attendant asked.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine." He looked up at his reflection in the mirror.

"Mint? A spritz of cologne perhaps?"

"I'll take a mint," he said, holding his hand out.

Taking the mint and crunching down on it as he stepped out into the Kashmir Restaurant. He walked into the main area, looking up at the various Happy New Year decorations.

* * *

 ** _"Nagato._** Wake up."

Nagato opened his eyes, sitting up and grabbing the blade at his side, the side where he often wished Konan would lay. But he looked up into the eye of a man he had long hated but needed. The man who had helped the Akatsuki take shape after the death of his best friend. And also, the man who had given them a new goal after they had been betrayed by Hanzo.

But after any and all information about the Kyuubi had vanished, after it had never reformed, that man had abandoned them.

The beast was gone, unable to be found. Even the Hokage and his closest people had believed the child meant for it's sealing was dead. It left many questions in the minds of the leaders of Akatsuki. Where had it gone? Had it simply died, never to reform?

Even Zetsu had been unable to find any trace of it's chakra, as though it had simply vanished from their world. And without Madara, the organization fell apart. Without his goal, they didn't know where to begin bringing peace to the shinobi world. When his leadership stagnated, Konan had left him, taking leadership of Ame in his place. Not that he blamed her. He had said things he regretted.

Shaking the bad memories away, he focussed on the man in front of him. "What do you want, Madara? You abandoned us once, so why shouldn't I just kill you now before you do it again?"

"Because the Nine Tails has finally resurfaced; quite publically, I might add."

Nagato hung his head. "What do you want me to do about it? The Akatsuki is disbanded, without purpose. You saw to that."

"Reform it. Get your paths out and gather members. It shouldn't be too hard."

He held up emaciated arms. "Not without spies it's not. But the entire organization fell apart. Do I look capable of rebuilding it to you? Or even of finding new bodies for my paths? Konan manages Ame now, but I can't go back there, and even then, Ame doesn't have the kind of people we will need."

"Stop sulking, Nagato."

Nagato turned to the new voice, one he knew well. Konan. "What are you doing here, Konan?"

"Madara told me what was happening, and if the Akatsuki is going to reform, I still have loyalty to it. Reform it, and I will stand by your side again," Konan said.

Nagato looked at Madara. "I buried the bodies of my paths years ago. Give me time to think about it. It's going to take time and a lot of work to set things back in motion, and I'm not sure I have the conviction."

Madara looked at Nagato, knowing he could just as easily take the Rinnegan eyes and go to work himself, but the Uzumaki was right. Even he himself, without the final Biju, had been without purpose for some time, with Zetsu entering a comatose state until recent events. He would give him time to think it over. After all, having him lead the Akatsuki on his behalf would be easier than not. He nodded and disappeared in a distortion.


	6. Chapter 6

**[A/N] Good day to you my glorious and loyal readers. I hope everyone is having a great set of holidays here at the end of the year. Whatever it is you celebrate this time of year, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, whatever it may be, here is a little of my gift to you for this season.**

 **I also hope this announcement shows that I read every review and I take what you say to heart. You'll know who you are in a moment. So tell me your thoughts. Without a beta, you, my wonderful readers, are my guiding line.**

 **So, I'm going to start editing past chapters to start adding Naruto's age whenever the place in the timeline changes. For now, until I make those edits, just operate under the impression that everything happening in rapture is going linearly unless otherwise stated. Same thing for anything going on in the Elemental Nations. Unless otherwise stated, whatever happens in the EN and with its characters takes place after Naruto's return to that realm.**

 **I'll also, at some point, be adding in attempts from Kushina to keep the peace, convincing Ryan to do things he otherwise would not have done.**

 **Like I said, I'm going to make these edits later, but for now, chapter 6, woohoo. I won't be adding that edit in for the moment, cause I am really tired.**

 **I don't have the self control to go to sleep early, so how did I get my sleep pattern fixed in time for dealing with family? I took an entire week to make my schedule progressively worse until it was so bad, it was on time.**

 **My eyes hurt.**

 **Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this long awaited and stupidly overdue chapter.**

* * *

 **New Year's Eve, December 31st, 1962**

 ** _Naruto_ **leaned against the bar as he waited for his order, a cake he wanted for the New Year's party in Hephaestus. His eyes moved to the clock, realizing his mother would be leaving work soon if she did at all tonight. He let out a small sigh, knowing that she only worked the hours she did for his sake. The knowledge only made him feel guilty that she was trying to cure something he no longer wanted cured.

When his order finally arrived, he stood to leave. His ears perked up as he heard someone speaking to his left. He knew, one day, that he would be forced to admit he had a bad habit of eavesdropping, but today wouldn't be that day.

He turned to see a woman as she spoke into a recorder.

"-you're stuck in Hephaestus, working. Imagine my surprise," she said. "Agh, I guess I'll have another drink. Here's a toast to Diane McClintock, silliest girl in Rapture. Silly enough to fall in love with Andrew Ryan."

Naruto cleared his throat. "It's not his fault, you know?" he said, taking the seat across from her.

Diane looked at the boy. "What would you know?"

Naruto bowed his head a bit. "Naruto Uzumaki, at your service. And what I know is that things aren't as simple as they always seem. For instance, one of the areas in Hephaestus flooded today, part of the control center for the power grid." Naruto's words put a worried look on Diane's face. "Some areas over there where the magma flows have a bad habit of nature trying to reclaim her own. Things always need to be maintained, so while he oversees the pumping and resealing of one of our power cores, we are able to be down here celebrating." He looked down at the box in his hands. "I know how you feel. The people we need can't always be there for us."

Diane looked down at the recorder, turning it off as she thought about what he said. "I hadn't really thought about that."

Screams grabbed their attention. They turned to see masked splicers coming down the stairs, weapons in hand. There was an explosion from within the Atlas statue. Naruto grabbed Diane's arm, pulling her in front of himself, putting his back to the explosion. Fires tore across his back and people were sent flying past him.

As the smoke and dust cleared, he stood up straight, feeling what was left of his shirt falling off. His body glowed an unnatural gold, skin and tissue regrowing on his back. He looked over his shoulder at the glass wall, releasing a sigh of relief that it was unharmed.

Sitting Diane down, he turned his attention to the gunmen killing those who survived the explosion. They pointed their guns at him, opening fire. The air around him shifted, dust floating as the bullets stopped in place a foot in front of him.

As each of the attackers ran out of ammo, they lowered their weapons and stared in awe at the floating sheet of bullets. "That's impossible. Telekinesis can't stop bullets," one of them said. "I don't believe it."

"Feel free to believe whatever you wish," Naruto said, letting out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. "It may comfort you while I give you your property back."

Without him moving, the bullets were sent flying back, ripping apart their bodies and creating a haze of blood.

Naruto took a few steps as one of the men looked up at him. "Are you even human?" the man asked.

"Of course I am," Naruto said with a grin. His Kusarigama appeared in his hands. "But, to be fair, I wouldn't be able to do this is my body wasn't filled to overflowing with ADAM." Seemingly without moving, Naruto cleaved the man in half.

His head shot up and he ducked as a grenade went screaming over him. It blew on impact with the glass, shrapnel flying as a web of cracks formed. His jaw dropped as he shot an ice spike at the woman who fired the grenage. Holding out his other hand, he sprayed a wave of ice over the cracks, sealing it over.

Naruto let out a sigh of relief, turning to Diane and giving her a thumbs up. His smile faded and blood ran cold as a dark presence formed behind him.

"Naruto Namikaze, you had better have a good reason for having plasmids, and you had better have it now."

Naruto slowly looked behind him into a molten glare. "Hey, mom. You got off work early."

* * *

 ** _Kushina_ **stormed into Ryan's office, Naruto and Diane trailing not far behind. "What's going on Ryan," she asked.

Ryan moved towards them with guards at his sides, some of the guards injecting EVE into their arms. "Kushina, I'm glad you're here. Some woman somehow brought Fontaine's Department Store out of the trench," he said. "We're being attacked by Atlas and his followers."

She nodded. "Have your men secure all bathysphere docks." Her attention turned to the guards. "Get some people down to the Welcome Center and take any survivors to the Medical Pavilion. And if I find out that bastard, Steinman, was allowed anywhere near those people, so help me, Atlas will be the least of your problems. Get everyone in Fort Frolic and and the Farmer's Market into their homes. We don't need unnecessary civilian deaths piling up and creating more unrest. Ryan, do you trust these splicers to keep their heads?"

"Of course. I trust them all."

Kushina unsealed a katana. "Good, because if any of them can't, I'll kill them myself. Go." She turned to Naruto as the group walked past them, Diane leaving with Ryan. "Explain yourself."

"Mom, look, I couldn't just sit around doing nothing. With the slug, it's not like splicing up could deform me like them."

"And what happens when I find a way to take the slug out?"

"I don't want it out!" Naruto snapped. "Ever since it happened, you've worked yourself to the bone to fix it, but I don't want it fixed."

"Why would you want that disgusting thing inside you, Naruto. Look what it turns those Little Sisters into."

"It's because of those Little Sisters. I wasn't strong enough to save Eleanor, and I don't want to be- I _can't_ be that weak again."

Kushina grabbed his arm, pulling him to the side as she got in his face. "You're the one who broke out Sophia, aren't you," she hissed.

Naruto's eyes widened slightly before he gave a small nod. "I couldn't let Eleanor stay enslaved like that."

She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Naruto, if Ryan found out, do you have any idea what would happen?"

"He won't do anything, because even if he finds out, he won't challenge you."

"I only have so much power in this city without bringing it all down on top of us."

"It's already coming down on top of us, because of Atlas. You're the one holding this city together. Fontaine threw the city into chaos, and Ryan lost the trust of his own advisers because he turned on his ideals to save the city. But they still trust you. You're the solid link keeping the Great Chain together. We can save Rapture, mom."

Kushina sighed. "Head to the Medical Pavilion. Try to keep order down there. Some of those people respect you like they respect me. Keep an eye on Steinman. And we'll talk more about this when everything calms down. You are _not_ off the hook for this, young man. You might need those plasmids, but if you have no other choice, use your chakra."

Without warning, and before Naruto could respond, the air ripped open behind him. A chill of dread went up Kushina's spine as Naruto grabbed his head in pain and the tear moved to swallow him.

"What the f-" was all Naruto managed before it closed.

* * *

 ** _Naruto_ **slowly opened his eyes as the pain lifted. His mind cleared, stood up straight, taking in his surroundings. A Little Sister ran up and grabbed his hand.

"Big Brother," she said, pulling him along. He looked ahead at a woman leaning against the glass wall, blood pouring down her head.

"Here, big brother," she said, giving him a barely filled ADAM syringe.

He smiled and took it, quickly drinking what little there was. Memories coursed through him and flashed before his eyes. As his vision cleared and the headache subsided, he approached the woman, coming to recognize her as he wiped away the blood.

"Elizabeth. What happened to you?" he asked, pulling out a medical pack. He slid her down, laying her flat on the flood. His hands became covered in a deep green as he used what little medical jutsu he had to keep her alive as he worked. As her breathing became normal, he looked down on his work and the Little Sister's syringe and a thought occurred to him. "Don't die on me yet. Not til I know for sure."

 **[A/N] I know this was a little short for how long it took me to get this to you guys, but I hope you like it. I've been trying to knuckle down on my own original work and it's leaving me very little time to work on this.**

 **Not only that, I've been playing Darksiders 3, for the beautiful, albeit, deeply flawed, mess that it is.**

 **That's not me saying don't play it. It's just very clear that it needs some patches to cover up the bugs. But other than those bugs, it's a great game.**

 **As always, I'm still looking for a beta reader if anyone wants to volunteer. I should have another chapter of Something New out sometime over the weekend and the Price of Your Betrayal: The Rewrite next week. We shall see. Until next time.**


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